I don't get it. They treated Lincecum probably over-carefully last year when they shelved him at the end of the season, and this spring when he had that groin pull. Then they put him back in after a rain delay? Between this and allowing Cainer to throw 114 pitches the other night, I'm thinking the managing staff has gone loco. Are they trying to literally hurt the only thing our team has to look forward to this year and down the road?

Excellent pitching by the staff. We're going to need a lot more games like this one this season.

I think you should get your starter ready to pitch. If you scratch him, scratch him. Don't jerk him around. It is APRIL, we are NOT in a pennant race, we have a boatload of youngsters, they need dependable coaching, regular routines, and clear expectations. Leadership, in other words. Lincecum may be unique, but he is still basically a rookie. Sabes tried to trade him, now Boch treats him like a garbage-time long reliever. Great! On the plus side, a great win, studly effort by the 'pen. The Smoggers got Merked and never recovered.

As a Padres fan, i'd have to say good luck with Boch.

He's a good guy and everything, but he's obsessed with finding lineup spots for the over-the-hill guys like Aurilia, Klesko, Mark Sweeny and Roberts.

Basically, he hooks up his hunting buddies with playing time, at least that's how it looks.

If there's a perspective on Boch from Giants fans, it would be interesting to hear it...

More head-scratching: We knew all week there was a chance of rain for the final game. Rain-delayed games are exactly why teams have long men in the bullpen. Yet Boch used his long man, Yabu, for one inning in the first two games of the series. Wilson could have pitched the 9th Tuesday night.

Good points, nice to see him going with the youngsters, since that's what the Giants need.

As far as starters, Boch likes to have his 7-8-9 inning guys lined up to shut the door (a luxury he may not have with the SF pen). Cain and Lincecum should be able to go 6 or like 90 pitches, whichever comes first. Boch is not really not a guy that's going to develop your pitching or 'pen too much, although he does work well with catchers as an ex-backstop himself.

Is there really any reason to be playing Durham anymore? The man is beyond done. I don't buy the "might have value at the trade dealine argument" either. Who would want him.....for anything?

Dumbasses? I don't know. I think you're overlooking some other factors. They could be idiots, or morons.

If the Giants start off like the Hindenburg this year, I can see Bochy getting fired, especially if he makes odd moves like this with the future of the franchise.

Bochy is a placeholder/good soldier until the endemic problems can be fixed. I think the G's went too far in the other direction after Felipe, who appeared to have an icy relationship with some of the players. The front office is the problem that needs to be solved. That said, the Lincecum handling last night was extremely disturbing, and defeats the purpose of rebuilding.

The logic is simple: All you do is simply say, "OK - today, I'll have flip-flop my bullpen and my starter. (Aside from convention, why does the bullpen *need* to pitch at the *end* of the game??? - think outside the box :). What is the advantage of flip-flopping? Because there is a 50% chance of saving your starter (the game ends early). Scenario 2: there is a rain delay, and the starter comes in after the delay. So OK - what happened. the 50% chance did not occur. (He does not want to blow out his entire bullpen) He puts in the starter. No harm, no foul *in real terms*. The only enemy here is the preconceived notion that the bullpen *must* pitch *after* the starter (not before). The fact that he had to bring in the bullpen to end the game is a simple function of Lincecum throwing too many pitches...

In other words, Bochy is showing greater flexibility of mind, and ability to think outside the box, than the fan base :)

Plus - he won the game, for crying out loud! and all you can do is complain that Bochy broke convention by having the bullpen pitch early? Why is nobody giving him credit for being creative - and winning as a result?

johnP,

He won the game?

That's your response to a dozen well-thought out comments about our manager's efforts to impede and/or destroy the long-term development of the ONLY VALUABLE YOUNG PLAYERS ON THE ENTIRE TEAM?!?!?!

No foul? If Lincecum gets seriously hurt because that idiot used him after an hour and a half rain delay --something virtually no manager does with ANY pitcher-- then what? His career could be over.

And you wanna sit here and talk about some April win for a team that'll be lucky to avoid 100 losses?

Do you work for the Giants? Are you Brian Sabean?

I mean, are you kidding me?